Articles | Volume 20, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-453-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-453-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
21 Jan 2026
Research article |
| 21 Jan 2026
| 21 Jan 2026
Basal unit radar characteristics at the southern flank of Dome A, East Antarctica
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, 98195, USA
University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78758, USA
Duncan A. Young
University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78758, USA
Donald D. Blankenship
University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78758, USA
Tyler J. Fudge
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, 98195, USA
University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78758, USA
Laura Lindzey
Ocean Engineering Department, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, 98105, USA
Hunter Reeves
University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78758, USA
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, USA
Alejandra Vega-Gonzalez
University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78758, USA
Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, 22904, USA
Shivangini Singh
University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78758, USA
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, USA
Megan Kerr
University of Texas Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78758, USA
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, 78712, USA
Emily Wilbur
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, 98195, USA
Michelle Koutnik
Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, 98195, USA
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Lucas H. Beem, Duncan A. Young, Jamin S. Greenbaum, Donald D. Blankenship, Marie G. P. Cavitte, Jingxue Guo, and Sun Bo
The Cryosphere, 15, 1719–1730, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1719-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-1719-2021, 2021
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Radar observation collected above Titan Dome of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is used to describe ice geometry and test a hypothesis that ice beneath the dome is older than 1 million years. An important climate transition occurred between 1.25 million and 700 thousand years ago, and if ice old enough to study this period can be removed as an ice core, new insights into climate dynamics are expected. The new observations suggest the ice is too young – more likely 300 to 800 thousand years old.
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Short summary
This study examines the radar characteristics of the basal unit along Dome A’s southern flank. Through manual mapping and delay-Doppler analysis, we identifies two basal unit types and maps the spatial variation of incoherent scattering. The results suggest that basal unit radar appearance is influenced by englacial temperature variability and potentially by subglacial geological controls.
This study examines the radar characteristics of the basal unit along Dome A’s southern flank....
